Let the Apple Car rumors roll on. Apple has been granted a patent (number US 11603003 B1) for “thermal control systems for battery charging” for an electric vehicle.
About the patent
The patent relates generally to charging electric vehicle batteries. More particularly, it involves thermal control systems used to improve battery charging rates and raise or lower charging temperatures.
As Apple notes in the patent, electric and hybrid-electric vehicles use a power-storing device in the form of a battery to generate driving force, either alone or in combination with an internal combustion engine. In a fully-electric vehicle, the battery must be externally charged, for example, at a vehicle charging station using a charging cable extending from the charging station to a connector that interfaces with a charge inlet on the vehicle.
The charging rate depends on the temperature of the various components within the charging system. The more quickly the battery charges at the charging station, the less wait time is required for the user.
During charging, and particularly during direct-current fast charging, resistive heat is generated by the charging current based on a change in entropy of the battery, and heat is released into the charging cable, the connector, the charge inlet, and the battery, raising the temperature of these current-carrying components.
The higher the charging rate or the charging current, the higher the heat generation, limiting the overall rate of charge and increasing the wait time for the user. Existing charging systems rely on vehicle-based components such as a radiator and a fan to cool the battery during charging.
The battery or internal combustion engine must expend power to operate these components, creating a noisy charging environment for the user and increasing charging time. Apple wants to overcome such issues in an electric Apple Car.
Summary of the patent
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “One thermal control system for use during electric vehicle battery charging includes a charging station thermally conditioning a fluid and sending the fluid to a vehicle charge inlet. The vehicle charge inlet thermally conditions the fluid and sends the fluid to one of a vehicle thermal loop or a vehicle heat exchanger.
“Another thermal control system includes a charging station thermally conditioning a fluid and sending the fluid to a vehicle charge inlet. The vehicle charge inlet thermally conditions the fluid and sends the fluid back to the charging station. In another thermal control system, a vehicle thermal loop supplies a fluid at a first temperature to a vehicle charge inlet. The vehicle charge inlet thermally conditions the fluid to a second temperature and returns the fluid to the vehicle thermal loop.”
When might we see an Apple Car?
Apple has scaled back its “ambitious” plans for a self-driving electric car and postponed the launch date back a year to 2026, reports Bloomberg.
The article says that Apple plans to sell a consumer “Apple Car” for “under” $100,000. Other points from the article:
° Apple wanted its vehicle to come without a steering wheel or pedals, but has decided that such a plan isn’t feasible at this time.
° The Apple Car will have guided driving features that work on highways, but won’t be fully autonomous.
° Apple currently plans to develop a vehicle that lets drivers conduct other tasks — say, watch a movie or play a game — on a freeway and be alerted with ample time to switch over to manual control if they reach city streets or encounter inclement weather.
° It will sport an Apple-designed custom processor to power AI (artificial intelligence) functionality.
° It will use the cloud for some AI processing.
° Apple might offer a remote command center that could assist drivers and control cars from afar during emergencies.
° Apple may also offer its own insurance program.
° Apple still hasn’t dialed in on a design for its first vehicle and the team is still working in a “pre-prototype” stage.
